FOXBORO — "Versatility" is a buzzword that floats in the air around Foxboro as much as Tom Brady spirals. The more you can do, the better.

Julian Edelman was a college quarterback who became a world-class receiver and punt returner, with a bit of defensive back in between. Matthew Slater is listed as a wide receiver, but his true position definition is a bit more fuzzy. Devin McCourty was a cornerback who has turned himself into one of the league’s better, more disciplined safeties.

The list goes on and on. Add the likes of cornerbacks Kyle Arrington and second-year pro Logan Ryan to the mix, as both have been getting some work at safety. Arrington has been a mainstay as a nickel cornerback for several years, while Ryan’s role is still taking shape.

"I think I’ve handled it well," said Ryan of his many responsibilities in the defensive backfield. "I think I’m a team player. I think everybody on the team is. We have one goal, and that’s to win the Super Bowl, so wherever they ask you to play, if you want to win, that’s what you’ve got to do."

Is it hard bouncing around so much?

"No, I think it’s a challenge," he said. "I think I’m a smart football player, and it helps me learn the defense in total by learning multiple positions. It’s something new and fresh, and it’s something I can compete and get better at every single day."

A bit closer to the line, third-year phenom Chandler Jones is also stepping away from the role he is most accustomed. While the 6-foot-5, 265-pounder from Syracuse can be that prototypical, hand-in-the-FieldTurf pass rusher, he has played some outside linebacker in the 3-4 in camp as well.

The man with 17.5 sacks in his first two years likes trying different things.

"I enjoy it, showing a little versatility," Jones said Wednesday. "But it all goes back to whatever Coach [Bill] Belichick tells me to play, that’s where I’m going to play."

After the ball is snapped, Jones’ responsibilities actually don’t change too much from position to position, no matter where he begins the play.

"Believe it or not, it’s very similar," he said. "The hybrid outside linebacker/defensive end position, it’s very similar. I feel like we’re doing the same exact things, maybe in different stances to start off with."

Trade winds

Late Tuesday, the Patriots traded cornerback Justin Green to the Cowboys in exchange for defensive lineman Ben Bass. Green had spent the 2013 season between the practice squad and 53-man roster, seeing action in two games. Bass, who is battling a hamstring injury, has played in two games in his two years in the league, bouncing between the practice squad and 53-man roster in Dallas since coming out of Texas A&M as an undrafted free agent.

Page 2 of 2 - New England also reportedly traded for Packers defensive lineman Jerel Worthy on Tuesday. Worthy, a Michigan State alum, was a second-round pick of Green Bay in 2012 after it moved up eight spots to select the 6-foot-2, 300-pounder. The physical is still pending for Worthy, who notched 2.5 sacks in 16 games over two seasons for Green Bay.

As neither move has been made official, neither player was at Wednesday’s session.

Taking attendance

As was the case on Tuesday, the most notable absence Wednesday for the Patriots was that of linebacker and defensive captain Jerod Mayo. Mayo’s 2013 season ended Oct. 13 when he tore a pectoral muscle in the Patriots’ comeback win over the Saints.

Among players who were present but not in pads were linebackers James Anderson and Ja’Gared Davis, safeties Tavon Wilson and Kanorris Davis, and rookie center Bryan Stork.

Tight end Rob Gronkowski, wide receiver Aaron Dobson and rookie defensive tackle Dominique Easley were once again in pads but did not participate in team drills.